High-voltage signaling system for electrically-operated street cars



March 30 1926.

1,578,367 J c. REIN KER" HIGH VOLTAGE SIGNALING SYSTEM FOR ELECTRICALLY. D PERATED STREET CARS 1 SWSE car and its trailers,

Patented Mar. 3i},

cns sriairatinirnn, 'orienswocn, was.

first :firoiriueeE SIGNALING Y "srs'rniir rota Application filed my "16,

T0 aZZ'wIwmetmag concern:

Be it known that I, GHRisTIAN RninKnn, l c1t1zen of the United Statesyreslding at Lakewood, in the county "of Cuyahoga' and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Higlr-Voltage Signaling System'ior Electrically-Operated Street Car-spot which the following is a specification. f

i The present nvention prov des-a simple andeflimentelectrical s1 'nahn ls stem for electricall oaerated 1 street cars whereb Y a trolley current of high voltage? may besafely employed to operate one ormore' electric 'b'ells'or other signaling devices-in the-trolley.

and whereby the number of electric-"switches necessary topermit signaling by all the ducedto a minimum through and by the aid of cords stretchedlongitudinally at each side of the car above or near the windows within convenient reachof the passengers occupying the seats and aisle. These cords are not only placed where they are accessible and easy to operate but they serve also toinsulate and protect the users from electric shock. I V

It is a common practice to operate electric signals in a streetcar with the use of dry batteries of low voltage, or'with a trolley current circuit in which interrupters are employed in series with buz zers. In each of the old systems a' large number of electric switches of the push button type must be used, one at each window post or seat, and in some cars at least twenty-five push-buttons are installed, thus requiring alarge amount of wiring to be done in the cars. Trouble-arises often on account of the use oi so many push-buttons and whenever a push-button becomes short circuited, it is diilicultv to lo- 1 cate the seat of the trouble and sometimes all of the push-buttons must be disconnected before the cause of the trouble is found.

The same difliculti-es arise when the wires be come crossed or broken, and such systems also expose the passengers to shoclrsand injury in operating the push-buttons because the current is conveyed directly to and through each push-button. In my invention only a few electric switches are required and these are located at a remotepoint irom the passengers; the wiring is reduced to a minimum; no wirin andfitting of switches 1s required or use; at each seat; the danger of shorteircuitiiig and. electric is passengers may be rennEcrRicAL-LiorEnATEfn mantras.

1921. ser arm. 46am. 1

' largely welded; and the initial at; as

ultimate upkeep 1 is" greatly reduced as) coin l paredwith former practices; In the accompanying drawing, Fi"

invention, and Fig. Qiis aidi ag rammatic view showing the electric clrcuit' and "'devices involved. Fig. 3 is a-i'ront view of the-pull switch, and F1g54 a verticalfsection thereof 5 online-l-l: of Fig. Fig. his a plan-view of said switch.

The morecommon types of electric street a reduced vlewof atrolley car' an'd-"trailer'. in which separate signalcords are arranged :to operate swltch'es and bells a'cco'rding-to.my

cars embody seatsatopp'osite-sides of "a"- can ductor is stationed either 'at 'a' "rear or 1 side door. hen atraileris coupled to a trolley nals for the passengers on the trailer to the;

conductor of the-trolley car. The passengers in each car signal to the conductor in the car in which they lare riding andthe starting .tral aisle, and the motorm'anl occupiesaa cab --O 1'GIIClDSBClFSbaT/IOITlIIEl'Ollt while the con i and stopping signals are given by the 0011 ductors to each other and the motorman usually by an independent or private signaling line or device. The present system is designed more particularly for th'econveniejnce and use of the passengers and comprises an electric circuit 2 which includes'trolley wire 3 and the trolley 4011' a car 5 in which two pull cords 6-6 are suspended on opposite sides lengthwiseof the car, preferably above the windows where the passengers may con veniently grasp and pull the cord. Two separate pull-switches 7 and 8 are connected in parallel in circuit 2 and a coil 9 aflt'ordmg a main resistance of approximately 2500 ohms a is connected in circuit 2 between these pull 1 switcliesand the trolley. vBoth switches arev grounded.throughanelectric bell 11 and a resistance coil 12 connected infparallel or multiple in circuit 2, and two setsof such signaling bells and resistances may be con-V nected in series in the same ground connec tion to efiect simultaneous; signaling at remote points on the car. A; resistance of ap: proximatel 200 ohms may be employed in parallel with each be11'11'\'v1 ere the current is of 550 voltage at the trolley and a main resistance of approximate-@2500. ohms is employed to reduce the current for safe 0 Jeratioil at the pull switches. The end 0 the cord which connects with each switch exno v h-tends through an opening; in the insulated base 14; oftheswitch and thence through an insulating thimble which is tightly fasthefixed contacts 19 are engagedby the extensions=18 before the inner end of'the in Sula-ting thiinbleystrikes the base plateand t the 'sameti'me or result.

"the bow-spring. 1 any; point in the length'of the-car will close arrests and relievesthepullfand Strain on A p-ull'oii either cord at circuit 2 and ring the bells; and. both cords may be operated "by different passengers .at Without affecting the system Thesystemis also conveniently adaptable to trolleys and trailers or a train of-cars,

and in Figs. 1 and 2 I show a trailer '20 couwpled to trolley car 5, the trailer being equipped with a pairgof pull-cords 6 and 6 and separate pull-switches 7 andS which are connected in parallel with a separate 7 conductor 2- leadingto'trolley 4 and having 7 aniain resistance 9f to protect the switches.

A; bell 11- and an auxiliary resistance 12are connected 'inp arallel in the common ground connection 18 for both switches and this ground connection extends through a yumper the ground wire 13 of circuit 2 between the two bells 011 the trolley car so that when a ergized a similar signal will be given by a bell in thetrolley car.

,What Iclaim is v I 'In a high voltage signaling system for electrically operated trolley and trailer cars cord on the trailer is pulled and bell llen- 2 21 between the two, cars and connects with I i connected therewith, composed'of open troljleycircuits in said cars,- each circuit including a plurality of resistances in series, one of which has in parallel therewith :a-signal, a

second resistance 1 having parallel therewith T a second signal, the last said resistance and,

signal being positioned Withinthe trolley car and included in both circuits, manually actuated means carriedrwithin each car for E completing each; of said circuits, and the last said signal adapted-to function upon the completion of either of said circuits. 1 j (CHRISTIAN REINKER; 1 

